Tag Archives: spare parts

Metso addressing supply chain issues, equipment availability for major North America miner

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

Metso says it has signed a five-year Metso Owned Inventory Life Cycle Services (LCS) agreement with a major mining company in North America covering key equipment technologies across various sites.

Through collaborative planning between Metso and the customer, the agreement will enable consistency, transparency and ease of doing business, the OEM says.

The contract is one of the largest LCS orders received by Metso, being of significant value, it says. It is intended to help the customer to identify the right parts needed for the equipment and will significantly improve parts availability resulting in higher equipment availability and reliability. Furthermore, the contract will ensure dynamic replenishment of inventory and mitigate risks from sourcing visibility and potential supply chain volatility, Metso says.

Giuseppe Campanelli, President, the North and Central America market area, said: “We are very pleased that our key customer trusts Metso to ensure reliable and efficient production. Metso’s own and managed inventory service concept will ensure that the customer will always have the needed parts available for example during a shutdown.”

Metso has hundreds of LCS contracts around the world that have been tailored to combine Metso Owned Inventory with other expert services. Metso Owned Inventory is designed to meet some of the most common challenges customers have with their inventory, Metso explains.

Sandvik and Boliden partner on 3D parts manufacturing project

Base metals, Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions has partnered with Boliden on a small-scale trial of 3D manufactured parts that, the companies say, will help both companies assess the potential of 3D printing.

Additive manufacturing – or 3D printing as it is more commonly known – is maturing fast, and has progressed from printing plastic components to now being able to print ceramics and metals.

To discover the potential of the technology, Boliden has teamed up with Sandvik to run a trial that will see machine parts printed digitally and installed on underground drill rigs.

The trial with Sandvik involves a set of specially redesigned components printed digitally at a Sandvik-managed facility in Italy, with their performance being monitored on machines in Boliden’s underground mines – first in Sweden, then in Ireland.

In theory, the 3D metal parts could perform as well – or even better – than traditionally manufactured items, the OEM said, adding that the first components have been put into operation at the Garpenberg mine in Sweden, with performance still to be evaluated.

“Additive manufacturing shows a lot of potential, both in reducing carbon footprint within the supply chain, through reduced or eliminated need for transport and storage of parts and also shorter delivery times,” Ronne Hamerslag, Head of Supply Management at Boliden, said. “This trial will give us a deeper understanding on how we can move forward and develop our business in a competitive way.”

3D printing is an exciting prospect for OEMs too, as Sandvik’s Erik Lundén, President, Parts & Services at Sandvik Mining & Rock Solutions, explains: “Mining equipment can last up to 25 years – and needs to be supported throughout that time – even in the most remote of locations. We have many different SKUs (stock keeping units) and, from an inventory point of view, we can’t tie up the capital that keeping all these parts in stock would entail. 3D printing of parts locally offers us the prospect of not only getting parts to the customer much faster, but doing so far more sustainably.”

Although in theory any part could in future be 3D printed, it is likely to be maintenance and repair operating items that are the first to get the additive manufacturing treatment, such as the bushes, brackets, drill parts, etc. that customers need to change every 3,000-4,000 hours.

But printing of the parts is only one part of the puzzle that the trial with Boliden is trying to solve.

Another is working out the future business model for 3D printed parts. Who does the printing – the OEM, the miner, or a third-party printing company? What will the costs be? What about intellectual property rights, warranties and liabilities? All these elements – and more – need to be resolved in the development of a 3D printed future.

Hamerslag concluded: “If you ask me, it’s the most exciting thing that’s happening in the supply chain. Its efficiency, speed and climate friendliness mean that we have to investigate additive manufacturing closely. We are only at the proof-of-concept stage with Sandvik right now, but it’s already clear that it could become a game-changer for the spare parts business in mining – for both miners and equipment manufacturers.”

Anglo American pursues 3D printing of spare parts with CSIR and Ivaldi Group

Equipment maintenance, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Anglo American has partnered with the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and US-based technology company, Ivaldi Group, to explore opportunities to digitally distribute spare parts for mining and processing equipment to be manufactured locally using 3D printing.

The project includes an analysis of Anglo American’s inventory of spare parts, such as impellers for pumps, shaft sleeves, gasket bonnet valves, and mining rock drill bits, exploring the impact of adopting a digitally distributed supply chain, and then digitising, locally producing and testing these parts at Anglo American’s operations in South Africa, Anglo said.

This partnership is the latest manifestation of Anglo American’s Collaborative Regional Development (CRD) approach to helping create “thriving communities”, as part of the company’s Sustainable Mining Plan commitments.

“Through strategic partnerships, CRD aims to create long-term economic prosperity within Anglo American’s host communities and regions beyond the expected life of a mine,” the company said. “To that end, Anglo American launched the Impact Catalyst in 2019 together with its partners the CSIR, Exxaro, Zutari, World Vision SA and the provincial government of Limpopo.”

Matthew Chadwick, Head of Socio-Economic Development and Partnerships at Anglo American, said: “Our FutureSmart Mining™ approach to sustainable mining is presenting us with new and innovative opportunities to build thriving and resilient communities, now and into the future. Through partnerships like this one with CSIR and Ivaldi, we are re-imagining long-established norms to help deliver enduring value to society.

“The ability to send files – not physical spare parts – will reduce our carbon footprint, delivery lead times and logistics costs. Importantly, this has the clear potential to create industrial and service jobs for host communities and surrounding regions through on-demand manufacturing systems to produce spare parts locally.”

Espen Sivertsen, CEO of Ivaldi, said: “We believe that digital distribution of physical goods is a natural next step for the global spare parts supply chain. It is part of the fourth industrial revolution. Working with world-leading organisations like Anglo American and the CSIR, we are now practically demonstrating that there are significant savings for businesses and a net positive impact for the environment and associated communities.”

Charl Harding, CSIR’s Business Development Manager, added: “When we first explored this opportunity to develop sustainable local on-demand manufacturing solutions we saw an immediate fit with our additive manufacturing and materials expertise. The 3D printing of parts along with the application of additive manufacturing technologies to refurbish worn parts offers the potential to create local jobs, promote innovation for the inclusive and sustainable advancement of industry and society whilst responding critical issue of climate change.”

Epiroc slims Sweden workforce following COVID-19 related demand drop

Automation, IoT, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Epiroc has provided a notice of termination to 425 employees in Sweden as it looks to adapt to the changing COVID-19 demand situation in the mining and infrastructure sectors.

The move is in response to lower global demand from these sectors amid the pandemic, and to position the company better for the future, it said.

Some 350 positions are expected to go at the company’s Örebro facilities, with 75 positions being removed in Fagersta, Sweden, of which half are positions in production, the company said.

Örebro is a main manufacturing and research and development hub for Epiroc’s underground and surface equipment as well as for service and spare parts supply, while Fagersta is home to Epiroc’s rock drilling tools business. Epiroc has about 3,100 employees in Sweden, out of a global workforce of some 14,000.

Epiroc said: “The action is the result of Epiroc facing a significant drop in demand from customers due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the global economy. The work reductions are also part of Epiroc’s continuous effort to become as agile and efficient as possible and follows various efficiency measures taken worldwide since 2019.”

The company, in April, announced it would consolidate the manufacturing of exploration drilling tools in Canada, gradually moving its base from North Bay to Montreal and Sweden over the course of 2020, with around 65 employees in North Bay, Ontario, being affected.

Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s President and CEO, said: “We are taking these actions to adapt to the new market situation following the COVID-19 pandemic and to make us stronger and more resilient for the future. Unfortunately, we must take such a drastic action as giving notice of termination. We regret the negative consequences this will have for our colleagues and those close to them, and we will support our employees in this difficult situation.

“These actions will allow us to continue to prioritise innovation and to develop our technology leadership in order to support our customers’ operations and improve their productivity.”

Epiroc’s innovation investments have led to the mining and infrastructure industries becoming more productive, safe and climate friendly, according to the company, following the adoption of its automation, digitalisation and electrification solutions.

Epiroc investing in 3D printing for on demand spare parts

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining software, , , , ,

Epiroc says it is introducing a project focused on the use of 3D printing capabilities for the manufacturing of spare parts.

According to Anders Johansson, Product Manager at Epiroc, working with 3D technologies will open up unlimited possibilities for the company.

One promising technology gaining momentum is additive manufacturing or a phased build-up of an object using 3D modelling and printing, Epiroc said. This has not yet been widely developed for the mining and construction industry.

“The technology of fast details production involves the manufacturing of physical samples based on CAD-data or 3D-scanning data,” Epiroc said. “This includes the use of special equipment for layer-by-layer 3D-synthesis and practically no need of further refinement.”

Earlier in 2019, Epiroc begun to explore the opportunity to implement additive technologies in the process of manufacturing spare parts; it was after high standards of quality and accuracy with this.

Johansson said: “Working with 3D technologies opens up unlimited opportunities for the company to create complex geometric shapes and maintain high quality standards.

“This technology does not only provide additional opportunities for the creation of complex parts. It also allows companies to transfer digital models around the world in minutes to manufacture spare parts right on the spot where they are needed.”

For those who use Epiroc equipment, spare parts wait time will be noticeably reduced, according to Epiroc. Consequently, equipment downtime will also decrease. In addition, the possibility of 3D printing significantly optimises the process of delivery and storage of Epiroc spare parts, which will lead to increased value for the customers, the company said.

Johansson concluded: “Thanks to the opportunities this will give, we will be able to serve our customers in new ways and, at the same time, reduce environmental impacts throughout the world, which is high on our agenda as a modern global company.”